


Paper Hearts and Punchbowls

by angstbot



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV), Swen, swan queen - Fandom
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-28
Updated: 2019-03-11
Packaged: 2019-10-18 07:32:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,530
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17576567
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angstbot/pseuds/angstbot
Summary: Henry ropes Emma and Regina into being chaperones at the school dance.





	1. Chapter 1

“Dance? We never had school dances before,” Regina said, feeling mildly suspicious.

“The kids never grew up before, either, Mom,” Henry pointed out.

That stung, but she knew she deserved it. In the next moment she felt Emma step closer to her and press her hand, warm and comforting, against her lower back.

“Kid, you can’t keep playing the curse card every time you want your mom to do something.”

Regina saw Henry quickly suppress a smile before insisting, “No, I don’t mean it like that! I just mean there was a reason it didn’t happen. But now people want to try it out. You know, since Valentine’s Day is coming up and all.” He shrugged, too innocent by half. Something was going on here, and she couldn’t put her finger on it. It didn’t help that more than a little part of her was distracted by being exquisitely aware of Emma’s nearness.

“Alright. It does seem like a good idea,” Emma conceded.

“Great! So, there’s a parent sign-up sheet,” Henry launched in, talking a mile a minute. “I put you down to help with refreshments, Mom, and Ma to help with decorations. And of course both of you for chaperones.”

“Henry!” they exclaimed in unison, and it felt good to be so in sync even though she was very, very annoyed with her son.

**

After dishes were done—all by Henry, because he needed it impressed upon him that you shouldn’t just go around making other people do work—he said he wanted to read his new comic book and abandoned them for the evening.

Shaking her head in amusement at his hasty retreat, Regina turned to see Emma looking after him thoughtfully. “He really is a good kid.”

“He is,” Regina agreed.

“Even if he’s not nearly as sneaky as he thinks he is.”

Regina chuckled. “I knew he was up to something, but I confess I didn’t suspect it was making us throw him a school dance. I wonder if he has someone special he wants to take?”

“I don’t want to think about it,” Emma said, waving it away with her hand. “I’m too young to have a kid who’s dating.”

Regina just snorted. Emma always forgot she was decades older than her. “Wine, grandma?”

Emma grinned. “Got anything stronger?”

“That depends. Are you going to destroy my city limits sign again?” But she was already pouring a tumbler of bourbon instead.

“Nah, I’ll just stay over if you roofie me again,” Emma teased as she took the glass, pushing off from where she was leaning against the counter and leading the way toward the study.

“I never!” Regina exclaimed, mock-offended, as she followed her out of the kitchen. In truth, she was profoundly grateful for this easy rapport, that they could joke about their past now, and she didn’t let herself think too hard about what that warmth in her chest meant.

“I think it’ll be a nice thing for the kids, though,” Emma said once they had settled onto the couch.

“Yes, though I doubt I would have signed up to chaperone.”

“No? Got Valentine’s plans or something?”

That sparked a little ache. “Oh yes, people are breaking down my door to go out with the Evil Queen,” she deadpanned. Certainly, one irritatingly attractive other mother of her son wasn’t.

“You deserve to have a hot date,” Emma insisted, an edge of emotion in her voice that Regina couldn’t quite read.

She was such a wonderful, kind friend, and Regina pushed down wanting her to be more as she reached out and gripped her hand in silent thanks.

**

“I’m so glad we’re able to do this,” Snow said, hugging her clipboard and almost squeaking in her excitement as she looked around the school gym. “It’s nice to give the kids a chance to get to know each other in a safe environment at this age.”

“At this age?” Regina repeated, confused.

“You know, as they’re starting to date. In fact,” she added, dropping her voice conspiratorially, “there are two sixth grade girls dating each other.”

She knew Snow had some old-fashioned ideas, but that seemed strange to emphasize so much. “Do you have a problem with that?”

“Not at all! I think it’s _wonderful_.”

Regina stared at her for a moment, wondering what on earth was wrong with her, then thought better of asking and turned to see how the decorations were coming along. The red and pink crepe paper was tacky, but at least it hung in symmetrical, graceful curves. She could do without the enormous foil hearts, but she supposed they would look better in the sparkles from the disco ball than they did under fluorescent light.

“Man, what’s _in_ here, anyway?”

She turned and saw Emma carrying a large, heavy box. The muscles in her arms were tensed with the effort, and those were symmetrical, graceful curves too. When Emma turned her back to Regina and bent over to set the box down, Regina suddenly became aware that she was staring. She quickly shook it off.

“Wonderful,” Snow said again.

Just as Regina was turning to demand that Snow explain herself, Emma said, “A kissing booth sign?”

Regina had a sudden vision of people lining up to kiss Emma. “Absolutely not.”

“Yeah,” Emma agreed, putting it back in the box. “They like to think they’re grown up, but they’re still little kids.”

“Not a real kissing booth, silly!” Snow insisted. “It’s a prop for the photos. Totally voluntary.”

“Alright, I suppose,” Regina said unenthusiastically.

**

Feeling Emma’s muscles flexing as she lifted her up against the wall was delicious, and Regina moaned into their kiss. When Emma took a hand away to pull at Regina’s shirt until she could free a nipple, the knowledge of being held up with one arm was nearly as good as the fingers pinching and rolling in the next moment. Then Emma shifted to press between her legs and started rocking against her. This was so good, and she felt like she needed everything at once—Emma’s arms around her and her fingers inside, her tongue in her mouth and on her clit, her grunt-groans of exertion keeping her there and her screams of pleasure as Regina made her come over and over again. She felt herself getting wet- wet- wet and she needed- she needed-

Abruptly, Regina was awake and very much alone in her own bed, feeling her clit throbbing in time to her racing pulse.

She couldn’t. It would be wrong to masturbate to thoughts of Emma. How could she look her in the eye ever again? So she kept her hands studiously away from where she desperately wanted them. Slowly, her heart slowed.

But it took a long time to fall back asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

“Those are for the children.”

Emma looked up, startled and a little guilty. She had been considering whether she could swipe a cookie with no one the wiser, but in her defense Regina’s baking was amazing.

“I’m just admiring how well they’re decorated,” she insisted.

“Oh? What do you like about it?”

“The, um-” She looked down again. The cookies were in fact gorgeously decorated, with precise frosting hearts and scallops. “The detail work.”

“Uh huh,” Regina said. She sounded unconvinced, but a little smile twitched at the corner of her mouth. That made Emma grin, too. She loved making Regina smile.

“I don’t believe you for a second, which is why I made you your own,” Regina went on, holding up a Tupperware.

“Really?” Emma knew she sounded more excited about that than she should, but she hoped Regina would chalk it up to her love affair with food and not suspect how much it meant to her that Regina had gone out of her way to give her something she knew she’d like.

“Yes, well, it seemed like the best way to protect the refreshments.”

“Ha ha.” Of course that was what it was. It wasn’t about Emma at all. She should remember that.

“Here,” Regina chuckled, handing over the container and turning back to her work.

Emma had just gotten a cookie out when she heard a sharp, “What are you doing?!” and froze guiltily.

She only realized Regina wasn’t talking to her when a man answered, “Putting out the cups?” Turning, she saw it was her least favorite dwarf, Happy.

“I can see that. Where is the punchbowl?”

“At that end.”

“And where are you putting the cups?”

“At- this- end?”

“So unless the you have a deep and abiding love of mopping up punch, I recommend you rethink that.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Emma hid her grin behind her hand. Regina was so over the top, but she loved how much she threw herself into making the dumb cookies and punch absolutely perfect and would go full Evil Queen to guarantee that Henry had a nice school dance. It was endearing, but also hot as hell. She pushed that thought down and took a big bite out of a cookie to distract herself, only to let out a moan that sounded exactly like the thing she shouldn’t have been thinking about.

“Careful, dear, people might get ideas,” Regina teased.

She forced herself to smile, then mumbled around a mouthful of cookie, “Yeah, they might.”

**

This chaperoning thing wasn’t too bad, Emma decided. She barely had to do anything, just stand off to the side and scan the room for any problems, and since they were mostly good kids there hadn’t been many. And when there were, since she was the sheriff and the savior, all she had to do was cross her arms and glare at the offenders and they immediately stopped trying to cop a feel on their dates.

“Good evening, Sheriff.”

“Hey, Archie.” She had to shout a little bit to be heard over the music.

“Fun night, huh?”

Emma chuckled. Probably for him it was. “A little dull for my tastes.”

“Yeah, the kids could use somebody to show them how it’s done.”

“What?”

“You know, to get out on the dance floor and cut a rug.” He looked so eager.

“Archie, I’m flattered, but-”

“Oh no, not me! Somebody else. I don’t know, Regina.”

She looked at him, eyes narrowed. That didn’t sound like a casual suggestion. But now that it had been made, she felt her eyes drawn inexorably over to where Regina was hovering around the refreshments table. She had changed into a little black dress once everything was set up. It hugged her curves and dipped down in the front and how could she look both completely respectable and unbearably hot? As Emma watched, she realized Regina was rocking a little to the music, like she wanted to dance. Maybe Archie was right?

She found herself standing by the refreshments table moments later, not even having made a conscious decision to come over.

“Hey,” she greeted.

“Hey,” Regina said back, sounding a little startled.

“Youwannadance?”

“I’m sorry, I don’t speak mumble,” Regina said, eyebrow raised.

“Wouldst thou do me the honor of dancing with me, Milady?” Emma said, dredging up every old-fashioned word she could think of.

“It’s Your Majesty,” Regina shot back, but her mouth held the hint of a smile.

“Do you want to dance, Your Majesty?” Knowing what Regina’s objection would be, she added, “The refreshments will be fine for five minutes.” Just then, the song changed, and Emma knew this one. “Ooh, I love this song! Come on!”

“Alright,” Regina said, coming around and taking her hand to pull her onto the dance floor.

In those few steps, Emma was suddenly certain she’d made a huge mistake. Dancing? With Regina? The hottest woman in existence? She was going to make a total idiot of herself. This was going to be a disaster. But then Regina turned back to face her and found the groove and she just went with it. They slid into an easy rhythm, and it was chaste, really—which, Emma reminded her libido, it should be. This was a middle school dance and they were the chaperones. Grinding on each other wasn’t exactly on the table, no matter how much she might wish it was.

She looked up and met Regina’s eyes just as the singer sang, “This woman is my destiny.” Her heart thumped so painfully in her chest that she stopped moving. God, she wished.

But then Regina was reaching out and placing her hands on her hips and guiding her to start dancing again, mouthing along “Shut up and dance with me.”

So she did. She did her best to lose herself in the rhythm and not think too hard about things she wanted that could never be.

As the song transitioned to a slow one, Regina tilted her head to indicate they should leave the dance floor, and she reminded herself that was how it should be, too. They’d goofed off long enough and should get back to chaperoning.

“Oh shit,” she suddenly realized. “What if somebody spiked the punch?!”

Just then there was a loud zapping noise followed by a yelp. One of the eighth graders was stumbling away from the refreshments table looking slightly singed, flask in hand.

“Honestly, Ms. Swan. You think I didn’t magic the punchbowl?”


	3. Chapter 3

Watching Henry step carefully close to his date to get their picture taken, Regina felt a little melancholy. He was growing up so fast, having a date already. With Jefferson’s daughter, of all people. She wondered whether that was why he hadn’t been willing to say who he was going with. In fact, they’d met here at the dance. Did Jefferson know his daughter was at a dance with Regina’s son? Would he have allowed it? Was he going to come after Henry? She would deserve it-

“You did good.”

Startled, she turned to see Emma smiling at her.

“I beg your pardon?”

Emma tipped her head over at Henry. “You did good. You raised him right.”

Regina looked at him again. She took in how impeccably dressed he was, and that he was eschewing the ridiculous props, and that good taste was definitely something she’d tried to instill in him. But she also saw how careful he was to keep his hands where they should be on the girl’s waist and his kind smile. She saw a lot of Emma.

“We.”

“What?”

“ _We_ raised him right.”

The way Emma ducked her head in pleasure at being included as Henry’s mother had her smiling. Emma leaned against her shoulder to shoulder companionably in the next moment, and it felt so right, being Henry’s parents, together. She looked up over Emma, who was looking at her with just a hint of intensity, and it was so attractive, and she could kiss her right now-

“It’s so beautiful!”

It was everything she could do not to snarl as she turned to see that the person who’d ruined her moment was Snow, who was weeping into a lacy handkerchief.

She couldn’t help snapping, “What on earth are you going on about?!”

“It’s just all so beautiful,” Snow half-sobbed. “Love!”

“Oh my god, Mom. You’re out of control.” Regina was sure only she heard Emma muttering, “Where’s Dad when you need him?”

Emma turned back to her and gave her shoulder a light squeeze, but the moment was gone, and she was off to find her idiot father anyway. Regina sighed and went back to the refreshments table.

**

“Hey, Mayor MILF.”

Turning, she saw one of the Lost Boys grinning at her. “I beg your pardon?” Surely, she’d misheard him.

“You’re looking really sexy tonight,” he said, looking her up and down.

She felt her stomach give a little disgusted lurch. But she couldn’t fireball a fifteen-year-old. Could she?

“Move along, kid,” came a growl from behind her.

She was relieved to see Emma. Emma would resolve this like a good Charming without resorting to threats or violence.

“I’m just talking to the lady,” the boy said, but Regina could see his confidence wavering.

“You were being disgusting.” Emma’s arms were crossed, and she was staring him down. “And you’re gonna go away and not do it again, or else the next time I pick you up on petty theft or vandalism you’re not gonna get bail.”

“But-”

“Keep talking and you might just resist arrest.”

The boy fled. It was a horrible abuse of power, and Regina knew she should disapprove, but it was also strangely chivalrous? And god, the raw power in it was attractive.

“Thank you,” she said, instead of kissing the daylights out of her.

“You do look really good,” Emma mumbled, not meeting her eye.

“Thank you, Sheriff Swan,” she said, hoping the heat she could feel in her cheeks wasn’t visible in the dim light.

**

“And now, it’s time for our spotlight dance!”

Regina looked up at Ruby, who was DJing.

“Here’s how it works. Donate a dollar to the animal shelter, and we’ll put the spotlight on you and your sweetie to whatever song you request. Forms are up here where you can list the song and your two names. My lovely assistant Leroy, who is totally here of his own free will and not for community service, will collect them.”

That seemed like a horrible idea. What if somebody put down the name of somebody who didn’t want to dance?

“Relax, Mom.”

Turning, she saw Henry looking at her like he knew exactly what she was thinking. “Granny is checking the names before they announce it. Mostly.”

“What is that supposed to-”

“And now, to show you how it’s done, Emma and Regina!”

Nearly blinded by the sudden spotlight, she could just barely make out Emma across the gym floor from her. At first, she looked as much like a deer in headlights as Regina felt. In the next moment, she forced a smile onto her face. Meeting Regina’s eyes across the now-empty dance floor, she shrugged and walked out, holding out her hand in invitation. With everyone staring at her in expectation, there was nothing to do but walk out and join her, and as soon as she stepped onto the floor the music started up.

“Hey, I’m sorry-” Emma said as they reached each other. “I didn’t put them up to this.”

Regina forced herself to smile as she stepped into Emma’s arms. “Of course not.” Why would Emma want to slow dance with her?

They fell into an uneasy silence, leaving Regina listening to the lyrics as they swayed to the music. _If you're lost you can look and you will find me Time after time If you fall I will catch you, I will be waiting Time after time_ She felt a little pang, because it felt so much like them, but Emma didn’t want to be here.

“It’s just- so- _intimate_ ,” Emma blurted out after a long moment.

The ache in Regina’s chest pushed its way out of her mouth before she could stop it. “And why would you want to be intimate with me?”

“I mean, not in front of everybody,” Emma said.

Their eyes met, and held, and-

They spoke in the same moment “You think I don’t want to?” “You want to?”

Oh. _Oh._ That look in Emma’s eyes, it wasn’t just affection for a friend. It was _more_. Her fingertips tingled wanting to reach up and cup Emma’s face in her hands. She needed to not be in front of a room full of children right now. She needed to demand that Emma explain herself. She needed-

The song ended, and they were left in the dark as the spotlight left them.

“We need to talk,” she said.

“Yeah,” Emma agreed. “You wanna go outside?”

“We have work to do.”

“Actually, it’s ten,” Emma pointed out, nodding at the clock on the wall. “We’re off duty.”

Regina blinked, startled. “Oh. Okay then.” She could do this. She didn’t need time to think. Did she?


	4. Chapter 4

Emma had felt alright suggesting that they go outside and have a talk when she did it. They’d had a moment, and it seemed like Regina was interested in her too, and that was the kind of thing you should talk about. But now that they were out here in the still night air, without all the sparkles and multicolored light, she was second-guessing herself, looking down and scuffing the soles of her shoes on the sidewalk. Regina hadn’t actually said she wanted to be dancing with her. Emma had been the one who just blurted out that she was surprised Regina would think she wouldn’t want to. Maybe Regina wanted to talk to her to let her down easy. Maybe-

“Emma,” Regina said.

She looked up. Their eyes met—and held for a long, long moment, and she could get lost in Regina’s eyes, but they were shining with- something- Oh- _Oh_. “You like me.”

“Yes, I’ve learned to tolerate you,” Regina said teasingly.

“No, you _like_ me. Like, romantically.”

“Maybe,” Regina hedged.

But she could see through her now and was barreling ahead, unable to stop herself. “You do!” She gestured to herself. “I do too! How long?”

Regina blinked in surprise, but answered, “I don’t know. A long time.”

“Me too. Maybe always,” she confessed.

Regina laughed. “I distinctly remember you calling me a sociopath.”

“Yeah, but you were a hot sociopath.”

Regina was laughing again and all she could do was just drink her in, able to openly stare at her for the first time ever. She was so beautiful, and so sexy, and she was maybe not completely unattainable after all, and-

Then Regina wasn’t laughing anymore, but she was looking at her with such intensity that Emma felt it down to her toes. She knew she had a silly grin on her face, but she couldn’t help it, and the way Regina reached up to cup her face suggested it didn’t bother her.

The world seemed to stop for a moment as they hovered on the edge of- something.

Then they were kissing, slow and deep and so full of meaning that Emma didn’t know if she could survive it.

The kiss went on and on, and her world was nothing but Regina’s lips and tongue on hers and their bodies pressed together. When Regina eventually pulled back, it was only to lean their foreheads together, and the intimacy of that was the only thing that made losing the other contact bearable. Emma realized they were swaying to the music coming from inside the gym. _Take me in, into your darkest hour And I'll never desert you I'll stand by you_

“This isn’t talking,” Regina pointed out, though she didn’t sound very sure about it.

“No.” Emma sighed. “And as much as I want to keep kissing you all night, we should talk about it first, at least.”

“Yes, we should,” Regina said, but she tucked her head against Emma’s shoulder instead of saying anything more.

They danced for another moment. “So you like me,” Emma tried.

“Yes,” Regina hummed against her neck. “And you like me.”

“Oh yeah. And it seems like we’re both okay with that.”

“Very,” Regina emphasized.

“So maybe we should try dating or something?”

“I’d like that.”

They fell into a comfortable silence for long enough that the song changed. _Wise men say only fools rush in But I can't help falling in love with you_

“Well, now that that’s settled,” Regina said suddenly, “take me home.”

“Wh- what?” Emma sputtered.

“I mean, if you want to,” Regina said, not meeting her eyes.

“I do. God, I do,” Emma groaned. “It’s not too soon?”

Regina looked up. “We’re adults. We’ve known each other for a long time. We’ve apparently wanted each other for a long time. I don’t want to wait any longer.” She paused. “Do you?”

“Yeah, no.” Emma took a deep breath. If she let herself think too hard about this, she was going to psych herself out. “Let’s go.” She grabbed Regina’s hand and turned toward the parking lot.

“Emma,” Regina said, and her tone was so disapproving that she stopped in her tracks.

“What?”

Regina just raised an eyebrow and Emma racked her brains for a second. “Henry!” She paused. “Well, he was going to be at my house tonight anyway. Just have to ask my parents to take him.”

“Yes, but _ask_.”

“Right.” She heard Regina chuckling behind her as she led the way back into the gym to find them.

Surprisingly, they were all standing together talking. They smiled a little too wide when they looked up and saw the two of them approaching.

“Hi guys,” Emma greeted. “What’s up?”

“Why would you think something’s up?” Henry asked immediately.

Emma started to ask, but then shook off the impulse. She’d figure it out later. Turning to her dad, she asked, “Hey, um, would you guys be able to take Henry home?”

Snow’s “Yes!” was so fast and so high pitched that they all turned to stare at her for a moment.

“What your mother means to say is that it’s not a problem,” David put in, sliding an arm around her shoulders.

“Yeah, okay,” Emma said. “Sound alright, Henry?”

“Yep! See you later! Bye!”

She was definitely going to have to interrogate them all later.

**

Momentum carried Emma to the car, to Regina’s house, and in the door behind her. But then the reality of what they were doing hit her hard. She was here at Regina’s house. To have sex. With Regina. Regina, who was so hot it made her knees weak and probably some kind of sex goddess. She was going to fuck this up. What had she been thinking?

“Where’d you go?” Regina asked, her voice low.

Emma knew her laugh was shaky. “Just nerves.”

Regina reached up and cupped her face in her hands. “Stop overthinking it,” she murmured, and kissed her.

Emma didn’t have to try hard to obey that command. Kissing Regina was an experience that had her complete attention. It started out slow and sweet, but quickly became deeper and more intense. Soon, one of Regina’s hands was threaded through her hair and the other was holding her close, and she had slid both of her own hands down to grip the perfect ass she’d admired all these years.

“God,” Regina groaned, breaking the kiss. “Can you pick me up?”

Emma groaned right back. “Fuck, you’re hot.” Then she did pick her up, glad that the skirt of this dress rucked up easily to let Regina’s legs wrap around her hips. Regina kissed her again, hard and hungry, as she pressed her against the wall to hold her steady. God, if this was this good already, she wasn’t sure if she was going to survive actual sex.

But in the next moment, Regina was insisting “Take me to bed,” and really, it wouldn’t be such a bad way to go.

As soon as she set her down, Regina took her hand and led their way up the stairs. When the bedroom door was closed behind them, she kissed Emma hard again, backing her toward the bed. Emma gladly went along, then squeaked a little in surprise and sat down hard when the backs of her legs hit the bed.

“That’ll do,” Regina hummed, and straddled her lap to kiss her again.

As she slid her hands from Regina’s hips along her thighs, she reached skin and groaned into her mouth. Then she slid her hands under the dress and up, taking it with her.

She paused to ask, “Okay?”

“Yes,” Regina said immediately, then groaned when Emma’s mouth found her neck.

Emma slid the dress up over Regina’s hips, up along her belly, up until she had to pull back to lift it over her head. Regina helped, and then oh- there she was, bra and panties and skin that Emma wanted to put her lips and hands all over.

“But we can’t do that with your clothes,” Regina complained.

“Sure, uh, let me just-” Emma started trying to get out of her shirt, and Regina laughed and stood up.

“For my own safety, I’ll be over here,” she said, lying down on the bed and looking at her expectantly.

Emma was sure she’d never gotten out of her clothes so fast in her life. She was down to her underwear and on the bed again as soon as she could be. She leaned down to kiss Regina and almost got lost in it again. But the brush of bare skin against her own reminded her that she had a mission. She kissed over Regina’s chin, down her neck, and across her collarbone. She kissed and nuzzled her way over her sternum. Then she breathed hotly on the lacy fabric covering a nipple before kissing down her belly to her hipbones.  

“Don’t tease,” Regina groaned.

Emma grinned and reached out to trace a finger along the edge of her bra. “Can I?”

“Please.”

It was off in the next moment, and Emma didn’t realize she was staring until Regina’s fingers under her chin closed her mouth, which was hanging open. She felt a little embarrassed, but not much, because god, Regina’s breasts were gorgeous and perfect, with taut little nipples, and in the next moment her mouth was open again to get one of them in it. Her groan of pleasure was answered with one from Regina, who was gripping her hair. God, this was good, and she was soon sucking more intently, rolling the other nipple between her fingers, switching back and forth and loving every sensation of Regina in her mouth.

She lost herself in the sensation and the amazing sounds Regina was making, and when gentle fingers under her chin coaxed her away she groaned in loss.

Until Regina purred, “My turn.”


	5. Chapter 5

Emma went along with her suggestion readily enough, rolling off of her and onto her back. Regina followed her, eager to touch. But when she saw Emma laid out beneath her, she stopped for a moment to really enjoy the sight of her.

“Something wrong?”

Startled, she looked up and saw uncertainty on Emma’s face.

“No, not at all. You got to look.” Regina knew she sounded a little petulant.

“Yeah, ok.” Emma paused. “Or you could touch.”

“You make a good point.”

“Let’s see if I can sweeten the deal.” Emma arched her back to take off her bra.

Regina tried to chuckle but it came out a groan as she caught sight of bare breasts. She just stared for a moment as Emma wriggled out of her panties as well. Then Emma was looking up at her expectantly, and she gladly leaned down and captured her lips in an eager kiss. As tempting as that was, she didn’t stay long, kissing and nipping over her chin and along her jaw to suck an earlobe into her mouth. Emma’s moan was luxurious, and it made her want to see what other sounds she could coax from her. Hot, open kisses on her neck got little “Nnh”s. A scrape of teeth on her collarbone, an “Unh.”

But the “Oh fuck, Regina” when she closed her mouth around a nipple was definitely the best so far. She couldn’t bring herself to go slowly, but Emma didn’t seem to mind, responding to teeth on her nipple with a “Yes!” She reveled in it, sucking and biting, loving how Emma felt and how she sounded.

Regina’s free hand roamed down Emma’s body, over her ribs and the curve of her hip, then dragging fingernails up the inside of her thigh as she came back up. She had intended to draw this out for a while, but when she felt wetness smeared well down Emma’s thigh she groaned, “God, I want to taste you.” Then she stopped cold, eyes wide. That was awfully direct. She had been awfully direct all night, in fact. Look at where her hand was. Was she pushing Emma too fast?

But Emma just said, “You do?”

“Yes,” she answered. She paused, then confessed, “So much.”

“Oh my god, you’re hot.”

“Oh?” She didn’t want to fish for compliments, but some more reassurance suddenly felt necessary.

“Fuck, yes.”

“Tell me,” Regina insisted, but she was also sliding her hand up farther to cup and gently squeeze where Emma was so, so hot to her touch.

Emma groaned, but answered, “I love the way you know exactly what you want and go get it.”

“Oh yeah?” If Emma liked that about her, she would try not to feel like she had to restrain it, then. She let a finger dip into her wetness. “In that case, let me tell you that when you ran that boy off I wanted to drop to my knees for you. So powerful and sexy and nnh-”

“Regina please.” Emma’s chest heaved a little with her need, and Regina was overcome with a wave of desire, followed by one of tenderness. But she still moved down her body, dragging her teeth over her ribs and then pressing hot, open kisses along her belly as she went.

When she settled between Emma’s thighs she did indulge taking a long look again before she touched. Then she saw the muscle in Emma’s thigh tightening with the struggle to stay still, so she kissed it, then kissed along it until she was where they both wanted her mouth. For all she’d been insistent before, she took it slow now, exploring every bit of Emma with her tongue.

Emma’s fingers threaded through her hair and held on, but didn’t try to guide her even though the tension in her body told Regina her need was strong. And that made her focus her touches, swirling her tongue around her clit.

“Yes,” Emma groaned long and low.

Regina smiled up at her, and then started to flick a little.

“Fuck, so good Regina.”

Regina hummed and moved her tongue faster. It was so good to be able to touch Emma like this, to hear her pleasure sounds and feel her slick heat. She had wanted this for so long, and now it was really happening, and it was everything she had dreamed of and more. Emma’s hips were starting to twitch now, and she wrapped her arms around her thighs to hold on.

“Can I-” Emma paused, whether from uncertainty or the ongoing flutter of Regina’s tongue, she wasn’t sure. “Can I have fingers?”

“Mnh, gladly,” Regina groaned, releasing one thigh and moving her hand to slip one finger in where Emma was so, so wet.

“More?”

Regina immediately gave her another finger, starting long, deep strokes.

“Yes!” Emma hissed. “So good.”

Regina just gave her more and more, stroking and swirling and eventually starting to suck on her clit and curl her fingers on the out-stroke. Emma was mostly incoherent now, “Yes” and “Regina” interspersed with gasps and moans, and she was pretty sure this was perfection.

Then Emma was coming, clenching around her fingers and moaning out her name, and no, _that_ was perfection.

She kissed her way back up Emma’s body more slowly than she’d gone down, able to enjoy the journey with the urgency of the destination removed. She was lavishing kisses on Emma’s heaving chest when a hand cupped her cheek.

“Hi,” Emma said, a little squeaky.

“Hi.”

“You’re fantastic,” Emma said. “And I’m gonna- you- in just a minute.”

Regina couldn’t help smiling at having made her so floppy, but also at the tender warmth of her hand on her cheek. She turned her head to kiss the palm, letting her eyes flutter shut. When she turned back their eyes met, and it wasn’t too soon for sex but it was definitely too soon for the confession of love that threatened to push its way out of her mouth.

Emma’s brow was furrowed, and she wondered if her inner turmoil was showing on her face. But then Emma’s eyes lit up and she smiled. “What was it you said before? My turn.”


	6. Chapter 6

Rolling them back over, Emma was struck again by the exquisite beauty of Regina’s body, impossibly better than the late-night fantasies that always left her throbbing, but guilty. She looked for a long moment—and Regina smiled indulgently—but then she _had_ to touch.

She kissed her long and slow and deep, but the electric sensation of their breasts pressed together kept her from staying too long. She still made herself go slowly, lavishing kisses along Regina’s chin and jawline. But she couldn’t stop there because there was much more of her to explore, and next she spent long, luxurious moments kissing along her shoulders and collarbones. Slowly, so slowly, she began kissing and nuzzling her way across the soft plane of Regina’s chest, torn between wanting to stop and just feel her quickened heartbeat against her lips and needing to have her nipples in her mouth again. She compromised by kissing and nuzzling along the side of her breast to her ribs. She felt Regina twitch under her.

“Okay?”

“Ticklish.”

“Got it,” Emma said, immediately moving back to safer ground. Her lips brushed a nipple and they both gasped, and with her mouth open anyway Emma just wrapped it around that nipple and sucked, groaning in bliss.

“You really like doing that.”

Emma pulled back, eyes wide. “Is that bad?”

“As long as that’s not the only place you like to put your mouth.”

“God,” Emma groaned. “So hot.”

“Thank you.” Regina paused, then raised an eyebrow. “Feel free to keep going.”

Emma chuckled, but went back to sucking intently on Regina’s nipples, first one and then the next, rolling the other between her fingers when she traded. She felt so good in her mouth, soft but firm, and she really was tempted to stay here all night.

Until her thigh slid between Regina’s. Emma felt wet heat even through lacy panties and moaned around the nipple in her mouth all over again. She thought for sure Regina would tease her for her eagerness, but when she glanced up, she was just looking at her expectantly.

She took the hint and kissed downward, but she was still attentive, kissing the undersides of her breasts and along her ribs—but not too far to her sides. Regina’s fingers brushing her cheek told her it was noticed and appreciated, and she smiled as she nuzzled her way along her belly to the waistband of her panties.

She looked up and made eye contact as her fingers traced the edge. “Okay?”

“Please do.”

She tucked her fingers in and peeled the panties down her legs. When they were all the way off, she sat back a little and just looked for a long, long moment at the perfection that was Regina. She wished she could draw, because this woman was a masterpiece.

Meeting Regina’s eyes again, she saw that her expression was a mix of tender and annoyed. In fact, that was a pretty common expression from Regina. She just hadn’t ever quite realized what it meant before. But now wasn’t the time to dwell on that. Now was the time to put her mouth where they both desperately wanted it. She moved quickly to settle on her belly between Regina’s thighs, only to be struck with awe all over again when she finally let her eyes fall to her pussy. She was so wet and open and glistening and beautiful, and she needed to taste her.

The first long, slow stroke of her tongue had both of them shuddering with need.

“So good, Emma,” Regina hummed.

“So are you,” Emma murmured against slick flesh. Then she started touching her again, slow but steady, down and pressing a bit inside and up to curl on her clit, loving the slickness and heat of her, the little “Mmh”s she was making, the feeling of the hand that was soon gripping her hair. She lost herself in it, listening to Regina and feeling her reactions, gradually giving her more, her tongue swirling now on the velvet hardness of her clit.

“I love how you want me.”

“Mmh?” Emma asked, confused.

“You’re moaning into my cunt,” Regina explained. Emma froze for a second, embarrassed. She hadn’t realized she was being vocal.

Until Regina went on, “I assume that means you’re enjoying yourself.”

“You have no idea,” Emma groaned out.

“Oh I have some idea.” Her nose scrunched adorably. But then she went on, “Probably about as much as I enjoyed doing it to you,” and her voice was liquid sex.

Fuck, she was so hot and Emma knew she was moaning this time—and that she was completely desperate to make her come spectacularly. Immediately she went back to touching her, tonguing her faster now, fluttering, rubbing her face in her wetness—worshipping her the way she so completely deserved.

“I want you inside me,” Regina insisted suddenly.

“Fuck,” Emma groaned, but she was pressing two fingers inside in the next breath, shuddering almost as much as Regina because she was rippling liquid heat. She forced herself to focus, giving her steady strokes with tongue and fingers, reading her responses and giving her more and more as her hand tightened in her hair, her hips twitched against her mouth, her moans went up in pitch, and her pussy clenched around her. This was exquisitely, almost painfully wonderful. She wanted to keep touching her forever, and she also wanted Regina to come so hard.

And she did, becoming a perfect arc of taught muscle with Emma’s name on her lips.

Emma kissed and nuzzled her way back up Regina’s body, then settled on one elbow above her, knowing she was grinning like an idiot but too happy to care.

Regina raised an eyebrow at her, but the corners of her mouth twitched with a suppressed smile. Then she reached up and pushed at Emma’s shoulder. “Let me curl up on you.”

“Sounds great,” Emma replied, and rolled over onto her back.

Regina tucked her head on her shoulder and threw a leg over, then sighed happily. “That’s better.”

 “Some night, huh?” Emma said.

“Yes. I can’t say I expected to dance with you tonight, much less- _this_.”

“Yeah.” She paused. “I’m gonna find out who did that to us. It wasn’t okay.”

“What?” Regina popped up to look at her.

“The spotlight dance. You were so uncomfortable. It wasn’t okay.”

Regina chuckled and settled back against her. “My white knight.”

Now it was Emma’s turn to say, “What?”

“I like the way you’re always looking out for me. Always have.”

Emma laughed. “I distinctly remember you complaining about how I saved you from the fire in City Hall,” she pointed out, intentionally echoing Regina’s comment from earlier.

Regina’s amused snort told her she caught that. “Fair enough.”

“But I do like you calling me your white knight.”

“Oh yeah?”

Emma took a deep breath, trying to find every bit of the courage she was supposed to have as the savior. “Especially the yours part.”

Regina’s “Yeah?” was soft.

“Yeah.” She swallowed hard. “So, I’m hoping this could be the start of something- more.”

“I hope so, too.”

Emma felt happiness, and relief, wash over her.

“And we can figure out what that means sometime when it’s not after midnight,” Regina murmured.

Emma was feeling pretty drowsy herself. “Good idea.” She was about to peel herself away and get them under the covers when Regina waved an indolent hand and magicked them. “That’s a good idea, too,” she complimented. But Regina was already asleep.


	7. Chapter 7

Regina awoke the next morning feeling warm and utterly content. It wasn’t until she attempted to roll over and stretch that she registered that the warmth wrapped around her was Emma. She froze for a moment, then reminded herself that they’d agreed that this wasn’t a one-night stand and that their relationship was going somewhere. She took a deep breath, willing herself to relax.

“G’mornin’,” Emma said, voice low and rough with sleep, and oh, that was a sound she could get used to in the morning.

“Good morning,” she answered through her smile.

Emma started nuzzling her shoulder and neck and jaw, and she felt a little spark of desire starting low in her belly. She could get used to _that_ first thing in the morning, too, but today they should probably put some clothes on and talk. When she started to turn over, Emma went along readily enough, settling onto her back so that she could curl up on top.

“Hi,” Emma said, sounding about as giddy as Regina felt.

“Hello.”

Emma was quiet for a moment, but she could feel tension in her body. Then she burst out, “So can I call you my girlfriend?”

It was so Emma that she chuckled.

“Or, I mean- it doesn’t have to- um-”

Regina pushed up onto her elbow to look at her. “Emma- Emma!” Once she stopped her anxious babbling, she went on, “I wasn’t laughing at being your girlfriend. I liked the eagerness. It’s cute.”

“Oh, okay.” Emma paused. “So, can I?”

“I’d like that.”

“Great.” She could feel Emma working up to a question again. “Can we make breakfast?”

She kept a straight face with some difficulty. “Am I allowed to laugh this time?”

“Yes.”

They both lost it, holding each other tightly as they laughed for a long, long moment. They had just calmed down when Emma’s stomach growled audibly and set them off again.

When they finally got it together again, Regina poked Emma gently in the belly. “We’d better feed this beast.”

She rolled away to get up and felt a little twinge of loss, but she reminded herself that they would get to touch each other much more often now. She stood and stretched luxuriously, and when she turned to go to the dresser for some clothes she saw Emma smiling at her like she was everything. That made her have to take a detour and kiss her soundly. She was just on the verge of letting Emma pull her back onto the bed when she remembered that they had a task to complete and pulled away. But she knew Emma’s eyes were on her ass as she went back to the dresser and definitely leaned over more than was necessary when she got there.

When she’d located what she wanted, she turned and saw Emma on the verge of falling out of the bed from leaning over to stare at her.

“You’re ridiculous,” she said.

“And not even a little sorry,” Emma agreed.

Regina laughed—and tossed her lone pair of only-for-housecleaning sweatpants and a t-shirt Emma had left here once straight at her face.

Emma caught them easily, then got up. By the time Regina had her own silky pajamas on, she was dressed too. They made it downstairs with only a few more kisses and giggles, and when Emma immediately went to start a pot of coffee Regina’s breath caught in her throat at how easy and right this was. _Of course_ Emma knew where the coffee was from many an after-dinner pot, and it felt utterly right to reach around her to get flour for pancakes and drop a kiss on the back of her neck. When Emma turned around to face her, pinning her against the counter to kiss her soundly and letting her thigh press between hers felt pretty damn right, too.

Regina had just decided that she might like to drop to her knees and peel Emma out of these too-short pants and devour her when she heard the sound of keys in the door that could only mean Henry.

“Shit,” Emma hissed.

“Act naturally,” she hissed back, moving quickly away and straightening her pajamas.

“Anybody home?”

“In here,” Regina called out, hoping her voice sounded less strained to anyone else than it did to her own ears.

“Hey Mom, Ma,” Henry greeted as he came in, totally unfazed to see Emma.

“Your mother came over early,” she blurted out.

 _Smooth_ , Emma mouthed at her while Henry’s back was turned in the refrigerator getting orange juice.

 _Shut up,_ she mouthed back, then smoothed her face out into a pleasant smile as Henry turned back to face her.

“She came over early in her pajamas and no shoes?” Henry snorted incredulously. “I’m thirteen, not five.”

“Well- we- I- When two people-”

“Whoa! Whoa- no!” Henry held out his hands, waving her off. “I don’t need any details! Definitely not the ‘when two people consent very much’ speech.”

Regina just stared at him for a moment, unable to figure out how to respond.

Emma stepped in to try to salvage the situation. “Okay, so, your mom and I are- um- girlfriends. Is that okay with you?”

“Finally,” he said with a dramatic sigh.

“What do you mean, ‘finally’?” Regina demanded, finding her voice again.

“We didn’t think you guys would _ever_ figure it out.”

“What do you mean, ‘we’?” she asked again.

His eyes went wide. “Uh- you know- Grandma and Grandpa and me,” he answered, trying to sound casual.

“You discussed this with my _parents_?!” Emma exclaimed.

But Regina was focused on the fact that Henry was holding something back. “And?”

He looked down and shuffled his feet. “Archie.”

“And?” Her voice was even lower and more dangerous now.

“Ruby.” He was mumbling now.

“And?” She was fully down in the Evil Queen register.

“Devin. And you should totally not kill him, by the way. He only flirted with you because Mulan completely refused to do something so dishonorable and we knew Zelena would get carried away hitting on Ma.”

Regina lost her cool. “Was the entire town in on some kind of conspiracy?!”

“Kind of?”

“Did we just get parent trapped?” Emma asked.

“Kind of?” Henry said again. Then he pulled his phone out of his pocket and his expression filled with horror. “Oh no.”

Regina’s “What?” was so severe that he flinched.

“Grandma’s coming. I tried to get her to hold off, but you know how she is about this kind of stuff.”

Regina heard the front door open. Moments later, Snow came in, weeping with joy and lugging the biggest binder she had ever seen. When she put it down on the counter and seized Emma in a hug, Regina could see that it was labeled, “Regina and Emma Wedding.”

**

“I can’t believe you had to threaten to curse my mom to the Land Without Birds to get her to stop planning our wedding.” Emma laughed. “Where is that, anyway?”

Regina raised an eyebrow. “I have no idea.”

“You made it up?”

“Desperate times call for desperate measures. She’s kind of incorrigible. But can we not mention your mother right now?” Regina was resigned to Snow being part of her life, but she drew the line at discussing her in bed.

“Yeah, sorry, that’s fair.”

“Especially when there are much better uses for your mouth,” she pointed out, reminding her of what they had been doing.

“Oh yeah?”

Regina gripped her hair and guided her to what she had in mind.


End file.
